Santa Fe mourns formative opera maestro
mainRobert Baustian, who conducted Santa Fe Opera from its opening season in 1957 through to 1980, has died after years of ill-health at the age of 94.
Among 176 performances of 23 operas, he led the world premiere of Douglas Moore’s Carry Nation and the US premieres of Hans Werner Henze’s The Stag King in 1965 and Boulevard Solitude in 1967.
Michael Gilbert, father of Alan and Jennifer, as concertmaster in the (vey small) photo.
Michael Gilbert, father of Alan and Jennifer, sitting as concertmaster in the (very small) photo.
The world premiere of Carry Nation was not at the Santa Fe Opera, but took place in 1966 at the University of Kansas to celebrate the university’s centennial.